<p>I'm only a freshman, but I have to say this: I'm not impressed at all. I honestly hope the loads of money we ( well I'm on FA, but I still pay about half) pay for our Penn degree are well worth it. This is my second semester and I have yet to take a class where I'm actually amazed by what I learn and the quality of my professors. The only class I'm taking this semester where I can actually say my professor is a great guy, enthusiastic and always willing to help, is my german 102 prof. My linguistics one is fairly good, but math 114 and econ 101 are pretty mediocre ( econ 101 more so...to be honest the guy is terrible). I hope this is just due to the fact that I'm taking pretty basic, intro level courses, because I would be insanely depressed if this is the norm for all other courses.......Sorry about the rant, but I just came back from another wasted hour of my life (MATH 114).</p>
<p>I think that you'll find once you get into higher level classes, things get a lot better. Intro econ and math classes are big, in high demand, and with a few exceptions have mediocre to horrible professors in this format. As you move into smaller, more discussion-based classes, professors are often more accessible and more excited about teaching students that are really interested in the subject.</p>
<p>My son felt the same way freshman year, but now (soph) feels like he IS getting a good education. You have to pick your courses carefully, and don't take all the requirements at once-mix in some good seminar courses.</p>
<p>yep i feel a lot more "educated" having gotten to upper-level classes; intro stuff freshman year was mostly blah.</p>
<p>Intro level classes esp. math and econ are known to be mediocre...the seminars and smaller classes are really great (some are particularly outstanding) so make sure you take some of those...I'm a sophomore so don't have too much experience but every semester I've found at least one class that was truly amazing and none that I would call unsatisfactory...
The following professors are the best I've come across:
Biology: Paul Sniegowski (I took a seminar on evolution which was incredible)
English: Peter Conn, Heather Love
Religious Studies: Jamal Elias
History: McDougall, Childers, Hurst
Comparative Literature/Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations: Roger Allen
Science, Technology & Society: Adams</p>
<p>Generally, a rating of 3.6 or higher on Penn Course Review indicates the Professor's probably a good bet.</p>
<p>more specifically, your advancement in your major means hopefully that you can focus on one area of your major (for IR its easy, if youre passionate).
once I did that my sophomore year, it eventually took a class with a enthusiastic prof doing almost exactly what i was interested in. </p>
<p>to this day, hes given me great guidance in my studies (not to mention potential future connections, etc...) </p>
<p>having a focus within your major definitely makes finding empathetic profs so much easier.</p>
<p>McDougall is really good. I have a class right now with Steinberg in the History dep't and I really like him, too.</p>
<p>the one problem with our otherwise stellar history department is that there is not a consistent saturation in the research non-fiction book area by our profs.</p>
<p>take mcdougall for instance, penn only bought him from berkeley after he published his pulitzer brize winning book.</p>
<p>much like penn alums need to break out of the bubble of business and find a permanent place in the public eye (see: Harold Ford Jr) ,thats the only way to approach hyp status</p>
<p>Agreed, but I don't know if that is going to happen any time soon</p>
<p>truly the caprices of the citoyen rule over the caprices of the NYSE/The City of Rothschild</p>
<p>megaman,</p>
<p>What's your major? (I realize you probably haven't picked one yet, but I'm assuming you're in the college from your post). Have you thought about narrowing it down at all to choosing between a couple majors? If you mention your interests to us, some people on the board will surely have experiences to share and recommendations for classes.</p>
<p>I'm partial to IR, Classics, and PPE myself.</p>